Fincantieri to build a super-luxury ship for Compagnie Du Ponant

Fincantieri will be building super-luxury ship for the prestigious French brand, Compagnie Du Ponant, for the fourth time. The new ship will be the twin to "Le Soleal", the mini-cruise ship delivered last month, and follows "L'Austral" and "Le Boreal", delivered in May 2010 and April 2011 respectively. Like the previous three ships, the new ship will also be assigned to Ancona shipyard and is scheduled for delivery in the spring of 2015. It will fly the French flag, and will be approximately 11,000 gross tons, about 142m long, 18m wide and will have a cruise speed of 16 knots. It will accommodate more than 264 passengers in 132 cabins and suites—all with a sea view and 95% with a private balcony—and a crew of 140. It will be built using the very latest in environmentally friendly technology, and with its small size, it will be able to reach ports and destinations inaccessible to larger vessels. Commenting on the new order, Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono said, "This new order marks a firm consolidation of our relationship with this prestigious cruise operator and allows us to secure a strong foothold globally in a very promising business segment”. “For Compagnie du Ponant this order is another step towards the future that validates an effective business model and strengthens our partnership with Fincantieri, which has been entrusted with building this fourth sister ship after the excellent work achieved on the previous three yachts” stresses Compagnie du Ponant CEO Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée.